Barrier cable support



March 24, 1931. w G c T 1,797,522

BARRIER CABLE SUPPORT Filed Sept. 17, 1950 WITNESSES INVENTOR MW y Patented Mar. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM G. COSTl'N, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO PITTSBURGH SCREW &. BOLT CORPORATION, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA BARRIER CABLE SUPPORT Application filed September 17, 1930. Serial No. 482,440.

This invention relates to guard barriers for highways, and more particularlyto resilient cable-supporting and spacing means carried by the posts of such barriers.

5 With modern high-speed automobiles and.

trucks and growing density of travel it has become necessary to put guard rails or cable barriers on the outside of curves in the highways, and along straight stretches of roads where there are dangerous declivities beside it. v

It is desirable that such barriers be so constructed as to shunt a vehicle striking them back toward the highway with the least possible damage. One form of such guards commonly used is composed of wooden or concrete posts through which wire cables are threaded, or to which cables are rigidly attached by through-bolts or other clamps. But with such constructions the hub or rimof a vehicle wheel may strike the solid post with the result of wrecking the vehicle or the post, or both.

An object of the present invention is to mount the cables in spaced away relation to the post, so as normally to prevent impact of any part of the vehicle with the post itself. Another object is to hold the cables with yieldable spacing means between them and the posts, so that impact of a vehicle thereon will be cushioned, and so that the stresses on the resilient means may be distributed to a plurality of posts on each side of the point of collision.

Other objects are to provide means for securing the results above indicated with a structure and parts that may be economicallymanufactured, uickly and easily applied, and rugged and strong throughout.

Other objects and advantages of the structure referred to will be apparent to those familiar with the art from a consideration of the following specification.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a barrier post, cable, and resilient support therefor, embodying the invention herein claimed, showing the spacing relation of the barrier to a vehicle wheel impinging thereagainst; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of a post. and one of the cable-holding devices shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are partial side elevations of a barrier post similar to that of Fig. 2, but showing slight modifications of parts; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of a barrier showing two adjacent posts with a cable therebetween.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the invention is illustrated as comprising a barrier post 1, having two vertically spaced cable-supporting members consisting of J-bolts 2 and 2a extending'through the post and having terminal hook ends 3 and 3a respectively on the road side of the post. Wire cables 4 and 4a are carried in the hooks 3 and 3a. Between the cables and the post and surrounding the shanks or bodies of the bolts are positioned helical springs 5. The threaded ends of the bolts behind the post carry washers 6 and nuts 7 by which the bolts may be taken up to compress the spring 5 to any desired point. The openings in the hooks of the bolts are preferably turned upward as shown in the drawing so that the cables will rest by gravity on the shanks of the bolts. This prevents dropping down of a cable if it is forced toward the post past the hook end of the bolt.

Both ends of the springs 5 are preferably bent back to bring the ends of the springs substantially into planes perpendicular to the axis of the helical spring. See Fig. 2.

In order that the entire inner faces of the springs may seat securely and throughout substantially the entire inner coils, the face of the post around the J-bolt may be cut to provide a flat face 8, as shown in Fig. 2. This seating recess may be conveniently made in the field by two parallel horizontal sawcuts across the inner face of the post, and then chiseling out the intermediate portion of the post. A flat face for receiving the inner end of the spring ma also be provided as shown in Fig. 3 by oring into the post with an auger slightly larger in diameter than the inner face of the spring to provide a circular flat bottomed recess 9. I

If preferred, a casting or forging may be used to seat the spring on the post. This is shown in the form of a disc 10, having a recessed outer face to receive the inner end of the spring, as shown in Fig. 4. However, the form shown in Fig. 2 is probably the cheapest and most desirable seating construction on the post for the spring.

Modifications in the J-bolt and spring assembly may be made. As shown in Fig. 2, the hook 3 seats directly upon the-flattened outer coil of the spring 5, and any take-up of the nut 7 on the J -bolt will directly compress the spring by contact with the bolt.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the terminal end of the hook 3.7) is extended further inward than that shown in Fig. 2, and the spring 56 is of larger diameter, so that the end of hook 372 extends inside of the spring. In this case pressure of the J-bolt on the spring due to take-up of the nut 7 is applied through the cable and consequent indirect pressure on the outer end of the spring.

The inner dimensions of the hooks are such as to provide a clearance for the cables adapted to be held therein. In the form shown in Fig. 2, the hook may be made shallow enough to provide various degrees of clamping action upon the cable between the hook and the outer end of the spring. That is to say, the cable may be firmly or loosely held therebetween, as may be desired.

In the form shown in Fig. 3, by taking up the nut 7 a clamping action on the cable between the spring and hook may be provided. Generally it is desirable to provide a resilient grip on the cable that will tend to hold it, but which nevertheless will permit some slippage of the cable through the hook, so that sudden stresses may be transmitted by the cable to several posts each way from the source of tension.

The bolts 2 and 2a are positioned horizontally in the posts and spaced apart a vertical distance intended to provide a clearance for the hub 11 of the usual automotive vehicle wheel. Consequently when the front wheel of a car or truck strikes the guard barrier, as shown in Fig. 1, the projecting hub will extend between the cables 4 and 4a, the sides of the tire or rim bearing against the cables above and below the hub. The springs 5 are'of such length as normally to space the end of the hub well away from the post. Consequently if the wheel glances along the cables, as it normally will do except in case of a direct head-on contact, the projecting hubs will clear the cables, the supports therefor, and'the posts. The tires or rims will slip over the bolt ends, or bend them down, without great damage to the car, and without bringing it to a sudden stop.

\Vhen a vehicle strikes the cables it can therefore slide past a number of posts without the hubs striking. The springs 5 will be compressed andthereby a resilient pushback effect is exerted, tending to right the wheel to parallelism with the barrier cables,

and so to cause the vehicle to glance away from the barrier and back into the road.

Even if the vehicle should strike the barrier head-on, the effect of the blow will be materially cushioned by the fact that a number of the springs 5 will be brought into action on each side of the vehicle and will unite to cushion the blow, in obvious manner.

It will be understood that the size of the bolts, their length, the dimensions and stiffness of the springs, the size of the cables, the tightness of the clampin action on the cable at each post, etc., may be chosen according to the needs of the particular service to which a barrier is applied, and in accordance with the specifications of various highway departments.

By retracting the nut 7 on the threaded shank 12 of a bolt, the cable may be released from any individual support without aifecting adjacent supports. This is of considerable importance in constructing or repairing such guard rails, since it permits puttin the cable in as the last element, drawing 1t to any desired tension, and then individually tightening the bolts. Under the practice of threading cables through the posts, or the like, if a new post is to be put in, it becomes necessary to release the cable at its end, and remove it from what may be a very large number of posts in order to put the free end through the new post being installed. Other advantages will be apparent.

By taking up the nut 7 on the threaded portion 12 of the bolt, compression of the spring between the cable and post can be adjusted as also the clamp on the cable in the form of Fig. 3.

There is no danger of the cables being released from the supports when the springs are compressed, since the cables are carried on the tops of the shanks of the J-bolts, and will be held thereon by gravity even though the cable be moved inward past the end of the hooked portions.

I claim:

1. A roadway barrier comprising in combination a barrier post, a vehicle-deflecting cable, suspension means carried by the post supporting said cable in spaced relation from the post and roadway, and spring means acting between the cable and post normally holding the cable in fixed position and adapted to absorb shock by yielding and permitting movement of the cable relative to the supporting means when a vehicle impinges against the cable.

2. A roadway barrier comprising in combination a barrier post, a vehicle-deflecting cable, suspension means carried by the post supporting said cable in spaced relation from the post and roadway, and a coil spring surrounding said suspension means and acting between the cable and post to normally hold the cable in lixed position. the spring yieldmenses ing and permitting movement of the cable upon impact of a vehicle against the cable.

3. In a roadway barrier comprising a post and cableesuspension means supported by said post and suspending a vehicle-engagin cable out of the normal vehicle hub zone and spaced to hold said hubs away from said post the combination with said post and cable of compression means acting directly upon said cable to retain it in its normal position and adapted to permit deflection of the cable to absorb impact shock when a vehicle impinges against the cable.

L. The combination of a roadway barrier post, a vehicle-deflecting cable, a al-bolt carried in fixed position by the post with its hook spaced from the post toward the road, said cable being disposed in said hook, and yielding means disposed between the post and cable normally pressing the cable into the hook and adapted to yield when a vehicle impinges against the cable.

5. A. roadway barrier comprising in combination a barrier post, a guard cable, a dbolt carried in fixed position by the post and having its hook s aced therefrom toward the road, the cable ein disposed within the hook and the hook being disposed to support the cable out of the hub line of vehicles and at such a distance from the post that said hubs are held away therefrom, and a coil spring mounted on said bolt and seated between the post and cable and adapted to yield to absorb the impact shock when a vehicle impinges against the cable.

6. The combination of a roadway barrier post, a vehicle-deflecting cable, a d-bolt carried in fixed position by the post with its hook spaced from the post toward the road, said cable being disposed in said hook, yielding means disposed between the post and cable normally pressing the cable into the hook and adapted to yield when a vehicle impin es against the cable, and means to draw the ca is against the spring and to vary the compression of the spring between the cable and the 0st. In testimony whereof, I sign m name. 

